Every US state EPR programme asks for the weight, in grams, of each packaging component you place on its market. Almost nobody has those numbers. This is a free starting point: typical weights for 35 common formats, the material each falls into, and what that material costs per pound under Oregon’s published rates.
Last updated 27 July 2026. Use it to build a first-pass estimate and to sanity-check numbers your suppliers send back. Do not file it as fact — see the method note below.
| Format | Material category | Typical weight | Fee rate | Fee per 1,000 units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beverage | ||||
| Aluminum beverage can, 12 oz | Aluminum (cans, foil trays) | 14 g ±10% (0.49 oz) | $0.06/lb | $1.85 |
| Aluminum beverage can, 16 oz | Aluminum (cans, foil trays) | 18 g ±12% (0.63 oz) | $0.06/lb | $2.38 |
| PET water/beverage bottle, 500 ml | PET — clear bottles | 11 g ±25% (0.39 oz) | $0.25/lb | $6.06 |
| PET CSD bottle, 20 oz | PET — clear bottles | 24 g ±20% (0.85 oz) | $0.25/lb | $13.23 |
| Glass beer bottle, 12 oz | Glass containers | 180 g ±15% (6.35 oz) | $0.10/lb | $39.68 |
| Glass wine/spirits bottle, 750 ml | Glass containers | 450 g ±25% (15.87 oz) | $0.10/lb | $99.21 |
| Gable-top carton, 64 oz | Aseptic / gable-top beverage cartons | 38 g ±20% (1.34 oz) | $0.35/lb | $29.32 |
| Food | ||||
| Steel food can, 15 oz | Steel / tinplate cans | 60 g ±15% (2.12 oz) | $0.07/lb | $9.26 |
| Glass jar, 16 oz | Glass containers | 250 g ±20% (8.82 oz) | $0.10/lb | $55.12 |
| PP tub, 16 oz | PP rigid (tubs, closures, jars) | 25 g ±25% (0.88 oz) | $0.38/lb | $20.94 |
| Stand-up laminate pouch, 8 oz | Multi-layer laminate / stand-up pouches | 9 g ±30% (0.32 oz) | $1.02/lb | $20.24 |
| Stand-up laminate pouch, 1 lb | Multi-layer laminate / stand-up pouches | 14 g ±30% (0.49 oz) | $1.02/lb | $31.48 |
| Folding carton, cereal-box size | Boxboard / folding carton | 55 g ±25% (1.94 oz) | $0.05/lb | $6.06 |
| Folding carton, small (unit box) | Boxboard / folding carton | 18 g ±30% (0.63 oz) | $0.05/lb | $1.98 |
| Flow-wrap / shrink film per unit | PE film (poly mailers, shrink, bags) | 3 g ±35% (0.11 oz) | $0.43/lb | $2.84 |
| Personal care and household | ||||
| HDPE bottle, 32 oz | HDPE rigid (bottles, jugs, tubs) | 45 g ±20% (1.59 oz) | $0.09/lb | $8.93 |
| HDPE bottle, 8 oz | HDPE rigid (bottles, jugs, tubs) | 16 g ±25% (0.56 oz) | $0.09/lb | $3.17 |
| Laminate tube, 5 oz | Multi-layer laminate / stand-up pouches | 18 g ±25% (0.63 oz) | $1.02/lb | $40.48 |
| Pump dispenser (PP + spring) | PP rigid (tubs, closures, jars) | 9 g ±25% (0.32 oz) | $0.38/lb | $7.54 |
| PP closure, 38 mm | PP rigid (tubs, closures, jars) | 3 g ±20% (0.11 oz) | $0.38/lb | $2.51 |
| PP/HDPE closure, 28 mm | PP rigid (tubs, closures, jars) | 2.2 g ±20% (0.08 oz) | $0.38/lb | $1.84 |
| Paper pressure-sensitive label | Kraft paper, paper bags, paper mailers | 1.2 g ±35% (0.04 oz) | $0.05/lb | $0.13 |
| BOPP / film label | PE film (poly mailers, shrink, bags) | 0.9 g ±35% (0.03 oz) | $0.43/lb | $0.85 |
| Full-body shrink sleeve | PVC / PVDC | 3 g ±30% (0.11 oz) | $1.20/lb | $7.94 |
| Ecommerce and transport | ||||
| Corrugated shipper, small (approx. 9x6x4") | Corrugated cardboard (shippers) | 120 g ±25% (4.23 oz) | $0.03/lb | $7.94 |
| Corrugated shipper, medium (approx. 12x9x6") | Corrugated cardboard (shippers) | 230 g ±25% (8.11 oz) | $0.03/lb | $15.21 |
| Corrugated shipper, large (approx. 16x12x10") | Corrugated cardboard (shippers) | 480 g ±25% (16.93 oz) | $0.03/lb | $31.75 |
| Poly mailer, 10x13" | PE film (poly mailers, shrink, bags) | 12 g ±25% (0.42 oz) | $0.43/lb | $11.38 |
| Bubble mailer, 8.5x12" | PE film (poly mailers, shrink, bags) | 20 g ±30% (0.71 oz) | $0.43/lb | $18.96 |
| Padded paper mailer, 10x13" | Kraft paper, paper bags, paper mailers | 32 g ±25% (1.13 oz) | $0.05/lb | $3.53 |
| Kraft void fill, per parcel | Kraft paper, paper bags, paper mailers | 45 g ±40% (1.59 oz) | $0.05/lb | $4.96 |
| Air pillow void fill, per parcel | PE film (poly mailers, shrink, bags) | 8 g ±40% (0.28 oz) | $0.43/lb | $7.58 |
| EPS foam insert / cooler liner | Expanded polystyrene (EPS foam) | 30 g ±35% (1.06 oz) | $1.38/lb | $91.27 |
| Molded pulp tray/insert | Molded fiber / pulp trays | 25 g ±30% (0.88 oz) | $0.08/lb | $4.41 |
| Packing tape, per parcel | PE film (poly mailers, shrink, bags) | 4 g ±40% (0.14 oz) | $0.43/lb | $3.79 |
Fees are charged by weight and by material, and the range between cheapest and most expensive is more than twenty to one. A gram of EPS foam costs roughly twenty-three times what a gram of aluminium costs. That means a packaging decision made this quarter sets a bill you pay every year, in every state, for as long as the SKU exists.
| Material category | Family | Rate | Basis | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expanded polystyrene (EPS foam) | Rigid plastic | $1.38/lb | published | Highest-fee material in every published schedule; banned for foodservice ware in CA. |
| PVC / PVDC | Rigid plastic | $1.20/lb | modelled | |
| Polystyrene rigid | Rigid plastic | $1.10/lb | modelled | |
| Multi-layer laminate / stand-up pouches | Flexible plastic | $1.02/lb | published | Not recyclable in any US curbside system. |
| Certified compostable plastics | Other | $1.00/lb | modelled | |
| Mixed / unclassified | Other | $0.75/lb | modelled | Unclassified material is normally charged at a penalty rate — classifying it is usually a direct saving. |
| PET — coloured bottles and thermoforms | Rigid plastic | $0.45/lb | modelled | |
| PE film (poly mailers, shrink, bags) | Flexible plastic | $0.43/lb | published | Store drop-off only in most states. |
| PP rigid (tubs, closures, jars) | Rigid plastic | $0.38/lb | published | |
| Aseptic / gable-top beverage cartons | Paper and fibre | $0.35/lb | modelled | Multi-material laminate; limited MRF acceptance. |
| PET — clear bottles | Rigid plastic | $0.25/lb | published | |
| Glass containers | Glass | $0.10/lb | modelled | |
| HDPE rigid (bottles, jugs, tubs) | Rigid plastic | $0.09/lb | published | |
| Molded fiber / pulp trays | Paper and fibre | $0.08/lb | modelled | |
| Steel / tinplate cans | Metal | $0.07/lb | modelled | |
| Aluminum (cans, foil trays) | Metal | $0.06/lb | published | |
| Boxboard / folding carton | Paper and fibre | $0.05/lb | modelled | |
| Kraft paper, paper bags, paper mailers | Paper and fibre | $0.05/lb | modelled | |
| Corrugated cardboard (shippers) | Paper and fibre | $0.03/lb | modelled |
Rates marked published come from Oregon’s 2026 per-material schedule as summarised publicly. Rates marked modelled are our estimates, placed within the published $0.076–$0.77/lb range and its extensions, because no per-material schedule has been published for those categories. No state other than Oregon has published per-material rates at all.
This is the whole method. It is not complicated, it is just tedious, and doing it in the wrong order is what turns a two-week job into a four-month one.